Liquid-distributing system.



No. 754,953. I PATENTBD-MAR. 15-, 1904. R. B. WILLIAMS, J-x. & 3..BLWHITMAN.

\ LIQUID DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM.

Arrmonion rILEn MAY 15, 1903.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

N0. 754,953- I PATENTED MAR. 15, 1904- R. B. WILLIAMS, JR. & Br 13.WHITMAN.

LIQUID DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-BH-E-ET-fi H 26" 23I0 i I. l) 1.17;;2,

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Nirnn STATES Patented March 15, 1904.

PATENT Orrioe.

ROGER B. WILLIAMS, JR, AND EZRA B. INHITMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIQUID-DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 754,953, dated March15, 1904. Application filed May 15, 1903. Serial No. 157,219. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROGER B. WILLIAMS, Jr. and EZRA B. WHITMAN, of NewYork city, in the county of New York, in the State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Liquid-Distributing Systems, ofwhich the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved liquiddistributing system, and isparticularly applicable for use in connection with certain forms ofapparatus employed in the purification of sewage in which the liquidsewage is introduced into a suitable tank, where it is partiallypurified and is then distributed to a series of receptacles orcontact-beds, similar to those set forthin our pending application,Serial No. 154,812, filed April 29, 1903. In both of these systems thesereceptacles or contact-beds are successively filled to a predeterminedlevel or overflow-line and are also successively emptied, the actionbeing recurrent and automatic,

and therefore establishes two cycles of opera-- tion, one of which maybe termed the filling cycle and the other the emptying cycle.

The object of our present invention is to control the distribution ofthe liquid to and from the contact-beds or other receptacles by means ofa system of valves and suitable operating mechanism which isautomatically brought into action at regular intervals by theoverflowing liquid from said contact-beds or other receptacles, so thatwhen one receptacle is filled to the point of overflow the overflowingliquid operates said mechanism to simultaneously close the supply andoutlet valves oi the receptacle and immediately thereafter to open thesimilar valves of another receptacle, thereby permitting the filling ofanother receptacle. In like manner any number of receptacles may befilled and the liquid-supply is finally diverted again into the firstreceptacle to complete the filling cycle; but before the filling cycleis completed the drainage-valve of the first-filled receptacle is openedby the same mechanism for the purpose of emptying the first-filledreceptacle preparatory to refilling, the operation of emptying eachreceptacle being also recurrent and successive and follows the order offilling to complete the emptying cycle.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan of our improvedliquid-distributing apparatus, showing portions of a series ofreceptacles, such as contact-beds, into which the liquid is successivelyintroduced and withdrawn. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section,partly in elevation,'ot' the apparatus seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a topplan of the detached overflow-conduits, showing their connection withthe standpipes and float-chamber. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detail views ofthe developed cams for operating the system of valves.

In order to demonstrate the practical utility of this invention, we haveshown portions of a series of four receptacles or specially-preparedcontact-beds 1, 2, 3, and 4:, which are successively filled to apredetermined level and are then emptied and allowed to stand emptyexposed to the air for a definite period of time in order that'thebacteria may absorb a fresh supply of oxygen for oxidizing the depositof the sewage.

The liquid-distributing apparatus which forms the subject-matter of thisapplication may be used in connection with any form of receptacle orreceiving tank where it is desired to successively fill and empty thesame in con tinuous cycles of operation, and consists,essen tially, of afixed receiver, such as an annular trough 5, which receives the liquidto be distributed and treated through an inlet-conduit 6, and isprovided with a series of valved outlets or channels 7, 8, 9, and 10,leading, respectively, to the upper ends of the receptacles 1, 2, 3, and4 for conveying the liquid successively to the latter. These outlets areprovided with valves or closures 7, 8, 9, and 10, which are guided insuitable ways in the walls of the channels and are adapted to beautomatically opened and closed at regular intervals in a mannerhereinafter described for regulating the flow of liquid to theirrespective receptacles 1, 2, 3, and 4, the essential requirement beingthat when one valve is open the remaining valves are closed, so thatonly one receptacle is filled at a time. The liquid thus introduced intothe receptacles is allowed to rise to a predetermined level, which isregulated by suitable overflow-openings, one for each receptacle, andthis overflow is utilized to control the operation of the inlet andother valves in a manner presently described. This automatic controlofthe valves by the overflow is successively carried out by providing thereceptacles with separate stand-pipes or vertical conduits 1, 2, 3, and4, which permanently communicate with the bases of their respectivereceptacles and rise to a convenient height therefrom,the upper endsbeing formed with overflow-openings 11,12, 13, and 14:, which aredisposed in substantially the same horizontal plane slightly beneaththat of the channels 7, 8, 9, and 10, while the lower ends of thestand-pipes 1, 3, and 4: are provided with drainage-openings 15, 17, and18, whereby the liquid may be drained from the receptacles orcontact-beds and also from the stand-pipes, the stand-pipe 2 having asimilar drainageopening. (Not shown.)

The overflow-openings 11, 12, 13, and 14 are provided with valves orclosures 11, 12, 13, and 14 and are connected by suitable conduits anddischarge into an upright shell 19, which contains a float 20, so thatthe liquid overflowing from any one of the receptacles or contact-bedsenters the shell 19 and operates to raise the float, the latterreturning to its normal position by its own gravity or other means.

The drainage-openings 15, 17, and 18 extend through the inner walls ofthe bases of the stand-pipes in substantially the same plane as thebottoms of the receptacles or contactbeds and are provided with valves15, 17 and 18, while the drainage-opening in the standpipe 2' isprovided with a similar valve, (not shown,) which valves are adapted tobe opened and closed automatically and successively for draining theliquid from their respective receptacles or contact-beds 1, 2, 3, and4E.

The float 20 is connected by a link 21 to a bell-crank lever 22, whichin turn is connected by a link 23 to a rock-arm 24, carrying a pawl 25,and this pawl coacts with a ratchetwheel 26 to impart a step-by-stepmovement to a revoluble frame 27, according to each suc-' cessiveelevation of the float 20. This rotary frame comprises an upright shaft(4 and a circular track Z), the shaft a having its lower and upper endsjournaled in fixed bearings 0 and (Z of a suitable supporting-frame, andthe circular trackb rides upon roller-bearings e on the supporting-frameand carries a series of cams 28, 29, and 30 for operating the valvespreviously described, the cam 28 being operatively connected to actuateeach of the outlet-valves 7, 8, 9, and 10 once at each revolution, andthe cam 29 is also adapted to actuate the valves 11, 12, 13, and ltonceat each revolution and at the same time that the corresponding valves 7,8, 9, and 10 are operated.

The cam 30 is arranged to operate the valves 15, 17, and 18 successivelyand once at each revolution, but is so timed with reference to the cams28 and 29 that when any one of the former valves is open thecorresponding valve of the latter series is closed and remains closeduntil some time before the completion of the filling cycle considered asbeginning and ending with the receptacle corresponding with said openvalve.

All of the valves preferably close by gravity or equivalent means, butare all opened by their respective cams and are provided with rollerswhich ride upon said cams to reduce friction.

Near the bottom of the float-chamber is a drainage-outlet 31, throughwhich the liquid escapes to relieve the pressure and permit the float todescend to its normal position after each successive shift of the cams28, 29,-and 30.

The operation, briefly stated, is as follows: Assuming that the cams 28and 29 are in position to hold the valves 7 and 11 of the receptacle orcontact-bed 1 open, at which time 7,

the similar valves of the receptacles 2, 8, and 4 and also all but oneof the drainage-valves are closed, the open drainage-valve being, forinstance, the one corresponding to the receptacle 3, then the liquidwill flow from the conduit 6 into the trough 5 and through the openchannel 7 into the receptacle or contact-bed 1. The valve 15 beingclosed the liquid will rise in the receptacle 1 and its stand-pipe 1until it reaches the level of the overflow-opening 11 and overflows intothe float-chamber 19. The inflowconduit of the float-chamber is ofconsiderably greater capacity than the drainage-passage 31, andtherefore the liquid flows in much faster than it flows out and operatesto raise the float and to thereby partially rotate the cams 28, 29, and30 through the medium of the ratchet and pawl and its connections withthe float and cams. A sufficient amount of water is permitted to enterthe float-chamber to raise the float far enough to effect the movementof the points of the earns 28 and 29 from the valves 7 and 11 to thevalves 8 and 12, or in this instance substantially a quarter-revolution,thereby opening the valves 8 and 12 and permitting the valves 7 and 11to close and at the same time advancing the point of the cam 30 from thedrainage-valve of the receptacle 3 to permit the latter valve to closeand to open the succeeding drainage-valve of the receptacle 4. Thereceptacle 2 is now being filled, and at the same time the liquid isescaping from the float-chamber, and thus permitting the float toreturn, which operation returns the pawl to its starting position toagain engage the ratchet. As soon as the liquid reaches the level of theopen overflow 12 it passes into the float-chamber, and the operation ofthe float and cams connected thereto is repeated for stopping the flowto the receptacle 2 and through the overflow 12 and opening the similarvalves of the rceeptacle 3. At this time (or it may be a step previous)the drainage-valve 15 is opened by IIS the cam 30 for emptying thereceptacle, and it is evident that by the continued operations justdescribed for filling and emptying the receptacles these receptacles aresuccessively and continuously filled and emptied at regular intervals aslong as the liquid continues to flow into the annular trough 5, and theoperation is entirely automatic. The liquid discharged from thedrainage-outlets 15, 16, 17, and 18 drains into a subconduit 32 and maybe conducted to a waste-pipe or to any other locality desired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a liquid-distributing apparatus, aliquidreceiver having a seriesof outlets and separate valves therefor, separate receptacles for theoutlets having valved overflow-openings. a float-chamber receivingliquid from the overflow-openings, a float actuated by the liquid, andmeans actuated by the float and operatively connected to successivelyopen the valves of said receptacles.

2. In a liquid-distributing apparatus, a liquid-receiver having a seriesof outlets and separate valves therefor, separate receptacles receivingthe liquid from the outlets and provided with overflow and drainageopenings, valves for said openings, a float-chamber connected to theoverflow-openings, a float in said chamber and operatively connected toopen the valves of the several receptacles one after another.

8. In a liquid-distributing system, a liquidreceiver having a series ofoutlets and separate valves therefor, separate receptacles for theoutlets having valved overflow-openings and valved drainage openings;and means controlled by the overflow from one receptacle for opening thevalves of another receptacle.

4. In a liquid-distributing apparatus, a conduit for the liquid having avalved outlet, a receptacle for the outlet, a stand-pipe leading fromthe receptacle having an overflow-opening and a drainage-opening,separate valves for said openings and mechanism controlled by theoverflow for operating said valves.

5. In a liquid-distributing system, a conduit for the liquid havingoutlets, separate receptacles for the outlets having stand-pipesprovided with valved drainage openings, and overflow-openings, and meanscontrolled by the overflow or" one receptacle for operating thedrainage-valve of another receptacle.

6. In a liquid-distributing system, a conduit having a valved outlet, areceptacle for the outlet having a stand-pipe provided with a valvedoverflow-openin g, a float-chamber connected'to the overflow, a floatmovable in the chamber, and means actuated by the float and operativelyconnected to simultaneously open the valves as the float rises.

7. In a liquid-distributing system, a receptacle for the liquid, a standpipe having a valved drainage-opening connected to the receptacle andprovided with a valved overflow, a float-chamber connected to theoverflow, a float in said chamber and means actuated by the float andoperatively connected to open and close said valves.

8. In a liquid-distributing system, a receptacle having a valved outlet,a stand-pipe connected to the receptacle and having separate drainageand overflow openings and separate valves therefor, and means actuatedby the overflow and operatively connected to suecessively operate saidvalves.

9. In a liquid-distributing system, a conduit having a plurality ofoutlets and separate valves therefor, separate receptacles for theoutlets having valved overflows, and means actuated by the overflow fromone of the receptacles and operatively connected to close the valves ofthat receptacle and to open the similar valves of another receptaclewhereby the flow from the conduit is diverted from one receptacle to theother. i

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands this 14th day of May,1903.

ROGER B. WILLIAMS, JR. EZRA B. WHITMAN.

Witnesses:

V. BIGELOW, R. F. PROOTOR.

